This invention relates generally to autoloading handguns, and, more specifically, to a magazine disconnect safety for an autoloading handgun.
Auto-loading firearms have been manufactured for decades, both in the United States and in many foreign countries. The Model 1911 .45 caliber automatic handgun has been an extremely popular autoloading handgun. The Model 1911 pistol is an automatic firearm in which several operations are automatically effected through or by energy of the recoil of the breech bolt or which, at the time of firing, closes the breech of the barrel. These operations include opening the breech after firing a shot, ejection of empty cartridge-shell, cocking of the hammer, presentation and introduction of a loaded cartridge into the chamber of the barrel, and closing and locking of the breech. Additionally, in firing, the barrel and the breech-bolt are interlocked together, and during this rearward movement, the barrel is unlocked from the breech bolt, and subsequently, after the barrel stops moving, the breech bolt continues recoil until the breech is fully opened. During this opening, energy is stored in a spring, the stored energy of which is used to effect the closing movement of the breech bolt.
Safety selection switches and other devices have been integrated into firearms for decades. It has become increasingly important to provide a lockable safety device that prevents a firearm from being discharged even when an operator does not specifically set a safety switch to a safe position.
The Model 1911 pistol, as manufactured by numerous manufacturers, includes a grip lever safety. The Model 1911 pistol is described in U.S. Pat. No. 984,519 which issued to John M. Browning on Feb. 14, 1911. The safety on the 1911 Model pistol prevents the pistol from discharging when the pistol chamber is loaded, ready to fire and the pistol is not properly positioned in the hand of the shooter. In the Browning 1911 patent, provision is provided to ensure against accidental firing when the trigger is pulled after the magazine is withdrawn. The magazine catch, that is, a thumb pressed button, locks the magazine in its magazine receptacle and also locks the trigger against operation whenever there is no magazine in the magazine receptacle. The trigger is automatically released when the magazine is entered into the magazine receptacle and is locked by the catch. This can be seen in FIGS. 4–7 of the Browning 1911 patent.
Another category of safeties includes manually activatable and deactivatible safeties using an operator selected lever position. Here, the lever is mounted on the firearm frame in an area where the thumb of the operator is positioned to allow movement by the operator.
It would be desirable to provide a safety feature that prevents a chambered cartridge from being discharged when the magazine of the firearm is removed that is simple, inexpensive and extremely reliable.
The magazine disconnect safety described herein is described with specific reference to a Model 1911-type handgun. However, the present invention is intended to have application with many other types and models of handguns and other firearms. No limitation of the scope of the present invention is intended based on the specific reference to the Model 1911 handgun described herein.
All references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.